Stefan Vajcetic made his debut for Pepijn Lijnders’ Salzburg on Wednesday night and the loanee from Liverpool put in a standout performance despite the side losing 3-0 to Sparta Prague.
Baičetic joined Salzburg on loan at the end of the summer transfer window, alongside former Liverpool manager Lijnders.
The Spaniard’s debut was delayed due to visa issues, but he went straight into the Champions League starting line-up after a 2-3 defeat to Rapid Vienna in the Austrian Bundesliga.
For the home game against Sparta Prague, Lijnders fielded a bold starting line-up that included seven players under the age of 21, with an average age of just 22.
Baičetic started alongside another debutant in midfield, Bobby Clarke, the Englishman who made his permanent move from Liverpool earlier in the summer.
Unfortunately, Salzburg conceded two goals in the first half and another goal shortly after the second half to lose 3-0.
Making his first senior start in a year, Baičetic has been deployed as a deep-lying midfielder, with the youngster being one of Lijnders’ few bright spots.
sugar PortmobHe had the second-most touches (95) of any player and the third-most passes (68) with a completion rate of 88%.
No player made more passes in the final third (12) and only Spartan winger Veljko Virmansevic (17) was involved in more duels than 14, with Baičetic winning seven of them.
Baičetic also created the joint most chances (twice) and had one shot on goal in a game in which Salzburg dominated possession (71%) but were outdone by a tidy Spartan side.
His fellow midfielder Clarke was also tidy, completing 45 of his 47 passes (96%) and winning four of his five duels (80%) in a more attacking role.
Perhaps the biggest positive for both players was that they were able to play more than an hour depending on the outcome of the game. Baičetic played 83 minutes and Clark 66 minutes.
Rinders will need to ease Bycetic, who has had long-standing fitness issues, while Clarke is in a similar position after missing a game since April with a season-ending injury.
Salzburg’s next match is away to WSG Tyrol in the league, while their next Champions League match is away to French side Brest on October 1.
